I do not own any Disney character named herein, and am only writing a nonprofit story for entertainment purposes only.

Kim Possible: Mirror, Mirror

By LJ58

VI

"Hello, Marty," Henry smiled as he walked into the thin, balding man's office.

Not much over thirty-four, the man was fast losing his hair, and the thick glasses spoke of his failing eyes.

"Henry," the longtime friend of the Gordeaux family smiled at him as he closed the law book on his desk. "What can I do for you? It's not a business call, is it," he asked discreetly.

"Oh, no," Henry assured him. "It's strictly personal," the big man smiled. "Remember Sherri?"

"Sher….? Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Don't tell me she's making another mess? I don't know if I can really help her if that's the case," the man told him with a reluctant sigh. "I mean, a career felon with a penchant for…"

Henry leaned over the man's desk, pointedly dropping his hands on a paperweight, and a favored nic-nac that were both crushed flat under his powerful hands.

"Nothing like that," Marty," he told him. "I just need something cleared up. Something from…..about sixteen years ago."

"Henry," the man squeaked.

"Sherri, Marty. Just a little over sixteen years ago, she ran off. I just found out it was not why we thought. She had to go to a special doctor. Do you know why?"

"I….. I might…..have heard….."

"Heard," Henry growled, shifting his weight as the desk, capped with thick marble, cracked under his hands.

"All right. We were seeing one another. Briefly. She said she thought she was pregnant. Thought. I never heard anything else, and then she disappeared. I never even saw her again until she showed up as the world's most wanted woman. For God's sake, Henry, she didn't even tell me what she found out. She disappeared on me, too!"

"Guess what, Marty," Henry said, straightening back up. "You're a daddy."

"What," the man who had been married ten years without a child squeaked. "Henry, for God's sake," he cried when the man turned to leave without looking back.

"It's not my place to say anything more," he said from the door without looking back. "But if you hurt her again…. Her, or your daughter, Marty. I'll crush you. Not your desk. You."

Henry slammed the door, cracking the thick oak panel down the center, and Marty just stared.

"Daughter," he rasped. "Oh, my God," he thought. "Ella!"

His wife would never believe this one. Or if she did. She might just leave him. Ten years without a baby, and he had a daughter out there? Why had he never heard from her? What was going on? Maybe he could talk to Will or Walter. The Wegos had always been the more reasonable of the erstwhile Team Go.

He didn't even think of Marcus. Mego likely didn't know anything that wasn't happening in his own mirror. That had not changed.

But Sherri? A mother? Why didn't she ever tell him?

KP

"I have one last account," Shari told Kim as she decoded the journal to add every listing and crime to the growing stack of paper Kim had typed up. "But it's my legit one. My own money I earned that I put into stocks, and invested."

"You want to keep it?"

"I want to give it to mom," Shari told her. "She…. She'll probably need it when she comes back."

"I won't put it down, but we should run it past Dr. Director. Don't look like that. You can trust her. She's not…."

"I'm sorry, Kim, but it's just still hard to trust. Especially since I remember her being…."

"Yes?"

"She's the one that helped found Team Go. What," she smirked faintly at Kim's expression as they sat at her dining room table. "You honestly thought a bunch of kids built Go Tower, and just went into the hero business on their own? Our gramps was connected to GJ back then, and talked them into sponsoring us. That's when we first met the 'Ice Queen.' Well, that's what they called her back then. Let me tell you, she earned that 'harpy' tag, too."

"I imagine she was trying to prove herself, too."

"You can be just so understanding," Shari laughed faintly. "All right. Put it down. But I'm not giving you the account number until I know it's safe. I might try trusting Bets….. Try, mind you. But I'm not trusting her trained apes. I know their type."

"Fair enough. I won't even put it down. We'll just discuss it in person. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. I'm not holding back, Kim," Shari told her abruptly, starting to look anxious again. "I just really want to give something back to my mother. I…..owe her."

"I understand," Kim nodded. "Believe me, I do. As much as my parents have given me, and trusted me, I still feel like I owe them at times. Not the same, I know, but…..the feelings, I'm guessing, are the same."

"Okay. One last listing. It's technically legit, too. I own an island in the south Pacific."

"An entire island?"

"It's…..not a lair. It's a resort. I invested, the resort grew. It even turns a nice profit. So I bought the whole island, let the staff buy shares, and now…." Shari sighed. "I would kind of like to protect it, too. For their sake more than any other reason. It's…. Well, their home. Their jobs, too. It wouldn't be fair just to shut it down because….."

"Like I said. Let's trust Betty. Just tell me something. Do you have any more of your legit investments?"

"That's it. Every dollar went into that place when I decided to front it. I even took time off one year to help them rebuild after a hurricane."

"I'm sure Betty will see they are considered. So, we have all the….assets. Does this also include all the crimes?"

"All but one," she said quietly.

"Which was….?"

"Simple B&E."

"What did you take."

"Nothing," she said quietly.

"Then why…..?"

"I needed to….see someone."

"Shari," Kim frowned.

"I broke into your house. The week after you kicked my butt off the Bueno Nacho roof."

"You…..did?"

"I came to see if you were….all right."

"I never noticed…."

"You were out cold. Guess you had a long day, or something. You were laying there curled up around that Pandaroo thing you liked."

"You were in my room," Kim squeaked. "Watching me sleep?"

Shari looked away now. "Even then….. I respected you."

"So why break in….?"

"I…..don't know myself. I just had to see you. After I healed following Drew's latest plan that couldn't possibly succeed, I broke out….."

"I remember. The warden swore someone helped you, because your cell was supposed to be escape proof that time."

"As if," she smiled, looking a bit more herself for an instant. "Anyway, I….couldn't explain it myself, but…..I had to see you. I broke in, watched you sleeping for a while, and then I took off."

"I never knew."

"Hey, I am good at what I do," she smiled thinly, thinking of someone else she once worked with that liked to say that. Only he meant it. But he was the sort she couldn't stick with, because he crossed lines she wouldn't even consider.

Yet they called him a good guy, she recalled. Go figure.

"Shari?"

"I think….I respected you…. Liked you….. Even then."

"Liked me," she blushed, realizing what she was saying.

"Only you were a kid. A cocky, irrepressible kid that seemed to get in over her head without even hesitating, and still acting as if she could do anything."

"I could," Kim smiled slightly. "And did."

"I didn't know that at the time. You were still a brat. I didn't realize how much I was starting to…..care until later.."

"And now," Kim asked.

"I owe you so much. Especially now. I promise, when this is over, whatever happens, I won't bother you ever again," Shari told her solemnly.

"You're not still thinking of…..?"

"No. No, Kim, I'm not. If there is a chance….. Any chance at all….. I really hope to get to know my mother. The woman beyond our memories. You….understand?"

"I do," she nodded. "Mothers," Kim suddenly murmured. "You know, I should visit mine more, too."

"Feeling guilty," Shari asked her.

"Well, after seeing Mrs. Lipski again... She was kind of sad...considering..."

"Yeah," Shari agreed. "I was trying to visit now and then, but..."

"I understand. Or...I think I do. Still, maybe we can talk Ed into seeing her more often."

"Ed?"

Kim sighed. "We can try."

"We?"

"Okay, I will try. After he gets out of jail again."

Shari chortled at that. "Good luck. I don't think Ed cares about anything that doesn't have at least twelve cylinders strapped to it."

"True. How about you? Doing better now," she asked Shari cautiously.

"Much. You know the day she left?"

"Your mother?"

Shari nodded as she smiled back. "She said she didn't hate me," she finally said. "She said…."

"Give yourself time," Kim told her when Shari turned someber again. "Give yourselves time. At least you found her."

"I should have found her sooner. She never should have….."

"At least you found her," Kim said again, reaching across the table to put her hand over one of Shari's clenched fists.

She sighed, and looked into Kim's eyes. "You're too damn nice for your own good."

"And you still curse too much."

"The hell I do," she smirked, and put her free hand down over Kim's. "The hell I do," she murmured softly, staring into Kim's eyes.

KP

Martin Sanders stared at the television at the press conference with the head of Global Justice, and a very subdued Shego was standing just behind her at none other than Kim Possible's side. The woman was just as striking as he remembered. Her dark hair. Her now voluptuous body. Even that pale green skin seemed oddly natural on her.

No costume, Sherri was wearing a pale ivory blouse with a modest, black skirt. She looked almost conservative compared to her usual style, and she looked…..nervous.

Sherri?

The most notoriously fearless woman on the planet?

"Is that her," Ella asked.

"Shego," he nodded, knowing Ella wasn't from Go City, and didn't know the Gordeaux family. Those that did kept their secret, and managed it well in spite of the fact it was hard in those first days when the comet-powered siblings recovered from the grief of finding their parents dead, and their lives irreparably altered by a small comet that exploded over their home.

"She had a child," Ella asked, staring at the woman in obvious envy. "You sure can't tell," she grumbled enviously, eyeing that tall, shapely frame.

Ella had never had a child. But she was a husky woman that had only added weight over the years, and it didn't help her mood that she had just learned her husband's first lover had a child years ago when she couldn't even get pregnant.

"Thank you for coming," Betty began, and they both listened as raptly as the crowd. "I have several reasons for calling this conference. Some of the things I am about to tell you are going to be…..unbelievable. They are, however, completely true. For the sake of brevity, I will give you the summary, and allow the experts to share the details in the days ahead. For now, I want you all to know that Kim Possible and I have been working closely hand-in-hand to discover the truth we are now unveiling here. And to assure you that the danger posed by the woman once called Shego is over."

Marty blinked at that. Shego had given up? Really? Of course, she had claimed that how many times now? Surely they weren't buying….?

"First of all, the woman you know as Shego," she gestured, "Is the former felon long wanted by over twenty nations for various crimes. However, she is not Shego. Not the true Shego that once stood alongside the proud heroes of Team Go in Go City."

Marty's jaw dropped.

"She is, in fact, that remarkable young heroine's daughter. Allow me to explain," the grim agent went on as the crowd, and especially the press exploded. Betty Director still didn't raise her voice, but went on as if she weren't interrupted. People, of course, listened.

"Her…..daughter," Marty choked, staring at the obviously thirty year old woman.

"That is your daughter," Ella gaped, staring at the woman that looked better than she did.

And as they both listened, Marty felt something lodge and clench in his chest as he realized what had really happened to Sherri that night.

I need you to come with me, Sherri had said.

Why, he had demanded.

I'm going to see someone. A special doctor who can tell us if….everything is okay.

Why bother? Just get rid of it, he had told her callously.

Shego, his Shego, had stared at him in horror, shrieking, "Maybe I will! Right before I get rid of you!" Then she ran off into the night. He never saw her again. Not until she showed up robbing banks, and helping megalomaniacs in increasingly mad schemes.

"The young woman that is the real Shego, this one's mother, is currently recovering from hibernation sickness with trusted allies. I trust when she returns, you will give her the same support you have always shown for all the brave men and women that protect us, and keep us safe from the threats only they can handle. Thank you," Betty concluded. "That is all."

Marty gaped on as reporters shouted questions. More than a few wanted to know what the 'reformed' daughter of Shego was going to do now.

No one replied. The three women, flanked by GJ agents, went to a nearby VTOL, climbed inside, and left.

Ella summed up his astonishment as she interpreted things in her own way, and said, "We have a daughter," with a strangely happy smile.

Marty wondered if she knew him. Of him. Or even wanted to know.

Henry, he knew, had not been back as yet. He had not seen the...original Sherri, who had artlessly declared her love for a seventeen year old who had just felt lucky to nail a real heroine. Or any girl at the time, as far as that was concerned.

Only his fear of teen parenthood that might destroy his own dreams had made him turn away from her. Leaving her alone the very night she needed him most.

"She must hate me," he realized, still remembering that threat that had hung over his head all those years. Yet she never came back, never called. She just...left.

"We have to call her," Ella went on, blithely unaware of his thoughts as she stared at the images as the press now rehashed the interview, and tried to make sense of all that was said, and not said.

"Honey, I doubt she would want to hear from me. I doubt either of them do," she was told as Marty thought of Henry, and those very powerful hands of his.

"Don't be silly. She is your daughter. You should let her know in case….."

"I'll think about it. In fact, I might call her brother….. Er, uncle. He might know how best to proceed."

Ella only smiled, asking, "You know Hego? The Hego?"

He sighed. She wasn't from around here. Everyone used to know Hego. He was still fighting crime on a more limited basis these days, but everyone knew Hego. Just then, he didn't want to know him. Still, Ella could be formidable in her own way. A quick apology, and a talk with his old friend might be easier than facing her just now as Ella babbled about famlies, and get-togethers.

Or he could try to call the Wegos, as he first intended. Yes, that might be safer.

Much safer, he decided, and tried to ignore his wife's glee that they might have a child, even if she was now as old as Ella herself.

KP

"I felt like a freak all over again," Shari complained as she sat in the jet beside Kim, the pilot ignoring them as Betty went over something on her small notebook computer she was using.

"It went well," the head of GJ told her. "I have agreements in hand from all but three of the last nations holding wants on you, and I anticipate one of them will sign off on our deal within the hour."

"The other two," Kim asked.

"Well, Japan may want a personal apology to go along with the remunerations, but I'm more concerned with China. They haven't said anything, and that concerns me. They are still pretty much governed by serious hardliners. They may want blood. Literally."

Shari, who had been starting to hope she might really get a second chance, said nothing at first as she shook her head. "Can't blame them. I really….thumbed my noses at them a few times."

"To say the least. Oh, and the U.N. agreed. Your island, which is no longer yours, was signed over to the various investors among the staff. It's free and clear of any legal….entanglements, and no one will demand anything else from what is, after all, a very popular tropical getaway."

"Thanks, Dr. Director. That's a relief."

"And her personal account," Kim asked when they both fell silent.

"We still have to confirm that there isn't any stolen funds, or illicit investments involved before I clear that. We are talking about several hundred million here. That's a lot of money…."

"Mercenaries are paid well, and I know how to invest. I told you, though, it's not for me. It's for…."

"I understand your motivations, however…."

"You have some greedy backers that want even more if they can get it," Shari asked quietly.

"Shari, unofficially, I respect what you are trying to do, and I will try to help you fulfill your wishes. But I still have to go through the motions, and ensure my people, as well as my peers, that I am doing my job. Understand?"

"Yeah. I get it. Just….try to save my mother something. She's going to need it since gramps pretty much disowned me…. Uh, her, after I….. Well, you know."

"Indeed. One last thing, Kimberly. MIT wants to know if you're close to finishing the genetic decoder they asked you and Wade to debug?"

"Almost," she murmured.

"It's been three weeks," Betty pointed out. "You didn't take this long to build your quantum projector for your doctoral thesis."

"My projector was harmless."

"Ah. Still trying to ensure there are no…..hidden agendas that might be managed by the operation of the decoder?"

"Dr. Stein does have a slightly…..colorful record regarding his ethics. In ways, he is worse that Bortel ever was."

"The less said about that kook the better," Betty quipped.

"Exactly. Anyway, I'm not entirely convinced of his claims, so I'm building a program limiter into the device so it won't do anything except what it's advertised to do."

Betty nodded. "Smart. I'll stall them a little longer for you. And for the record, I did hear that Dr. Stein is currently offering a genetic 'cure-all' to certain elite patrons if they will fund his commercial marketing, and development of the decoder."

"I knew it," Kim spat. "Research to help mankind my…"

"Whoa. Calm down," Shari told her, seeing her green eyes glittering with unexpected fury.

"It just grates me that people can be so smart, and so…..stupid," she complained, frowning at Shari.

"Yeah, well, it's called being human, Pumpkin. I'm pretty sure that's not much you can do about that one."

She sighed, shook her head, and gave Betty a weak smile. "Anyway. Give me another week, and my limiter should be ready."

"It can't be shut down?"

"Not my design," she huffed at the head spy.

"Well, it would than that seem Dr. Stein is about to disappoint a lot of people."

"Hope they accept refunds," Shari grinned.

"I hope he can afford them," Betty remarked. "Some of his prospective clients aren't the forgiving kind."

"He's already taken money," Kim blinked.

"He was banking on MIT's reputation, and yours, to add to his credibility."

Kim smiled. "Is that right?"

"And when we prove he was selling illegal genetic manipulation, and faux cures, then we will bust him for illegal and unethical medical practices. Not until then, Agent Possible," Betty told her.

"Fine. Fine. I won't punch the freak in the…..face," she grumbled. "This time," she added in a lower tone.

Shari had to grin.

"Approaching Upperton, ladies," the pilot turned to tell them. "ETA in four."

"Thanks, Ben," Kim told them as the other agents in the aircraft simply sat quietly, saying nothing. Not even seeming to look their way.

"I'll keep you advised on the progress of the last three nations," Betty told them as she closed her notebook. "Meanwhile, just keep your head down, your nose clean, and….."

"And," Kim asked.

"Remember the phrase 'no comment' when you inevitably run into the press."

"Oh. Those guys. I swear, if they weren't so handy at times, I…."

"Kim. Remember the university's agreement. No containment fields on or around your house. Your insurance won't cover it."

"Containment fields," Shari asked.

"Long story."

"Depends on who is telling it," Betty smirked. "Here we are," she said, the jet pausing, and starting to descend. Good luck on the limiter, Kimberly, and….."

"Miss Possible! Miss Possible!"

"Shego, if you're not Shego now, what are you calling yourself?"

"Dr. Director, what is Interpol saying about….?"

"Kim! This way!"

The shouts were all the louder as they stepped off the jet, and Betty gave her the knowing look of a boss that had just dropped her hip deep in it as the hatch closed behind her and Shari, and left them standing in the yard where at least fifty reporters were all rushing their way.

Until Shari's hands lit up, burned a trench into the ground to either side of her and Kim, and in the sudden silence she growled, "No. Comment."

Then she turned and walked to the door.

Kim followed her, trying not to smile as she walked up, used her retinal scanner to unlock the door, and then led them inside. Where she promptly burst into laughter.

"I predict Betty will call in about four…..three…..two….."

The Kimmunicator chirped, and Shari rolled her eyes as the stern face of the senior GJ agent appeared on the small screen when Kim raised her wrist.

"Dr. Director? Did you forget something….?"

"What the hell was that stunt? Did I, or did I not say….?"

"Hey, I said 'no comment,'" Shari told her over Kim's shoulder. "But I had to get their attention first."

"Not funny, woman. Try to refrain from being a bitch in the future," she snapped, and the screen went dark.

"Why did you do that? I mean, you didn't have to….."

"Actually, I did," Shari admitted. "Every now and then, if I don't use my powers regularly, I have to…..vent. If I don't, it can really start to hurt."

"I didn't know that," she admitted.

"I figured. But I didn't bother telling anyone because…. It's personal."

"I can respect that. Want to rest, or grab a bite?"

"I'm too nervous to rest."

"Well, I need to…."

"You don't have to baby-sit me, Kim," Shari told her. "I'll just watch some tube, if you don't mind. I'd like to know what the idiots are saying about me now."

"All right. I need to add your biometric measurements to the security system anyway, since you'll be staying with me. Uhm, for now," she added. "That way you can lock or unlock the house if you need to do so."

"Okay."

"I'll be in the lab. If you feel anything…..tingly, don't worry, it's just the house scanning you for authorization to operate my security."

"So, what was that one about containment fields?"

"I'll tell you over supper," Kim laughed, heading to the back of the hall where her larger bedroom had been converted into a personal lab after her PhD had made her a household name.

A second time.

To Be Continued…..